Extremely enjoyable telling of the consequences of an eighteen-year-old secret. No dramatic plot devices, car chases or kidnappings here: just plausible characters on a skillful and meaningful journey of discovery. At first, I felt like I'd seen too many recent examples of alternating story-telling by main characters, but this worked fine and added depth to the story. And while the ending might not have been quite what I was hoping for, there's no doubt it was the right outcome for the characters, at least at this stage of their tale. If Ms Giffin has a sequel up her sleeve, that's just fine by me. ( )

Wow…..Outstanding! Emily Giffin at her best…..Have read all her books and this one most definitely TOPS the list! This will be a best seller and most definitely block buster movie material and one of my favorite books.

Beautifully written….the characters you fall in love with (loved Conrad..yum! Could see a sequel and definitely can envision who could play Conrad ( hot and sexy with a great heart). I fell in love with Kirby, Marian, and of course the fathers. I could not put it down as started it on Thurs and finished it on Friday. It was “real and raw”….a story which will leave you smiling and crying at the same time. I cannot wait for a continuation of Marion/Conrad and possible Philip/Kirby…This is a winner – highly recommend!!!!( )

Giffin attempts to tell both sides of an adoption story - from the points of view of Kirby, the now-18 girl in St. Louis who was adopted and of her birth mother, Marian, who is now a successful TV producer in New York. She also delves a bit into the adoptive parents' feelings as Kirby rebels against them and seeks out her birth parents. Kirby is likable enough but Marian is a cold character. She seems to have thought very little about Kirby in the intervening years and still has not told anyone but her mother that she had a child, including the man with whom she wants to start a family. When Kirby shows up on her doorstep, Marian can no longer hide but she also doesn't show much emotion for her daughter. She only begins to show feelings when finally telling Kirby's father, Conrad, whom she hasn't seen in 18 years, that they conceived a child and she lied to him. Giffin's writing style is easy to read but everyone is forgiven a little too easily in this novel and the only characters who ring somewhat true are the adoptive parents who play a small role in the story. ( )

Where We Belong is the first Emily Giffin book I read, and it was wonderful! Imagine being a successful, happy, single career woman and opening your door to the daughter you gave up for adoption 18 years ago. That’s what happens to Marian when Kirby arrives. Told from alternating points of view, this story about the ripple effect of making choices is a terrific read. Book clubs, chose Where We Belong, and you won’t be disappointed. ( )

Kirby is adopted and when she turns 18 she gets the name of her birth mom and heads to New York to meet her. As this relationship starts and grows Kirby is then interested in her birth dad.

This story is told in Chapters by Kirby and her birth mom, Marilyn.

I think it is well done and we learn a lot about how adoptions can be a positive experience.

Most books that I have read make the birth mother always regret giving the child to a family that was ready when they were not. I give Emily huge kudos for that. As a person that has this story in my life it was good to see it in a positive light. ( )

Wikipedia in English

The author of five blockbuster novels, Emily Giffin, delivers an unforgettable story of two women, the families that make them who they are, and the longing, loyalty and love that binds them together

Marian Caldwell is a thirty-six year old television producer, living her dream in New York City. With a fulfilling career and satisfying relationship, she has convinced everyone, including herself, that her life is just as she wants it to be. But one night, Marian answers a knock on the door . . . only to find Kirby Rose, an eighteen-year-old girl with a key to a past that Marian thought she had sealed off forever. From the moment Kirby appears on her doorstep, Marian’s perfectly constructed world—and her very identity—will be shaken to its core, resurrecting ghosts and memories of a passionate young love affair that threaten everything that has come to define her.

For the precocious and determined Kirby, the encounter will spur a process of discovery that ushers her across the threshold of adulthood, forcing her to re-evaluate her family and future in a wise and bittersweet light. As the two women embark on a journey to find the one thing missing in their lives, each will come to recognize that where we belong is often where we least expect to find ourselves—a place that we may have willed ourselves to forget, but that the heart remembers forever.

Her carefully constructed life thrown into turmoil by the appearance of an eighteen-year-old girl with ties to her past, New York television producer Marian Caldwell is swept up in a maelstrom of personal discovery that changes both of their perceptions about family.… (more)